From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a partial
timeline of the history of golf
:
- 1421
? A
Scottish
regiment
aiding the
French
against the
English
at the
Siege of Bauge
is introduced to the game of
chole
. Hugh Kennedy, Robert Stewart and John Smale, three of the identified players, are credited with introducing the game in Scotland.
- 1457
? Golf, along with
football
, is banned by the
Scots Parliament
of
James II
to preserve the skills of archery. Golf is prohibited on Sundays because it has interfered with military training for the wars against the English.
- 1470
? The ban on golf is reaffirmed by the Parliament of
James III
.
- 1491
? The golf ban is affirmed again by Parliament, this time under
James IV
.
- 1502
? With the signing of the
Treaty of Perpetual Peace
between England and Scotland, the ban on golf is lifted.
- James IV makes the first recorded purchase of golf equipment, a set of
golf clubs
from a
bow
-maker in
Perth
.
- 1513
?
Queen Catherine
,
queen consort
of England, in a letter to
Cardinal Wolsey
, refers to the growing popularity of golf in England.
- 1527
? The first
commoner
recorded as a golfer is Sir Robert Maule, described as playing on
Barry Links
,
Angus
(near the modern-day town of
Carnoustie
).
[
dubious
–
discuss
]
- 1552
? The first recorded evidence of golf at
St. Andrews
,
Fife
.
- 1553
? The
Archbishop of St Andrews
issues a
decree
giving the local populace the right to play golf on the
links
at St. Andrews.
- 1567
?
Mary, Queen of Scots
, seen playing golf at
Seton Palace
shortly after the death of her husband
Lord Darnley
, is the first known female golfer.
[1]
- 1589
? Golf is banned in the Blackfriars Yard,
Glasgow
. This is the earliest reference to golf in the west of Scotland.
- 1592
? The
Royal Burgh
of
Edinburgh
bans golfing at
Leith
on Sunday "in tyme of sermonis." (Eng:
sermons
)
- 1618
?
- 1621
? First recorded reference to golf on the links of
Dornoch
(later Royal Dornoch), in the far north of Scotland.
- 1641
?
Charles I
is playing golf at Leith when he learns of the
Irish rebellion
, marking the beginning of the
English Civil War
. He finishes his round.
- 1642
? John Dickson receives a licence as ball-maker for
Aberdeen
.
- 1658
? Golf is banned from the streets of
Albany, New York
-the first reference to golf in
America
.
[
dubious
–
discuss
]
- 1682
? In the first recorded international golf match, the
Duke of York
and John Patersone of Scotland defeat two
English noblemen
in a match played on the links of Leith.
- Andrew Dickson, carrying clubs for the Duke of York, is the first recorded
caddie
.
- 1687
? The student diary of
Thomas Kincaid
includes his
Thoughts on Golve
, and contains the first instructions on playing golf and an explanation of how golf clubs are made.
- 1721
? Earliest reference to golf on
Glasgow Green
, the first named course in the west of Scotland.
- 1724
? "A solemn match of golf" between
Alexander Elphinstone
and
Captain John Porteous
becomes the first match reported in a newspaper. Elphinstone fights and wins a
duel
on the same ground in 1729.
- 1735
?
The Royal Burgess Golfing Society
of Edinburgh is recorded as having formed; it claims to be the oldest
golfing society
in the world.
[2]
- 1743
? Thomas Mathison's epic
The Goff
is the first literary effort devoted to golf.
- 1744
? The
Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers
is formed, playing at Leith links. It is the first
golf club
.
- The Royal Burgh of Edinburgh pays for a
Silver
Cup to be awarded to the annual champion in an open competition played at Leith. John Rattray is the first champion.
- 1754
? Golfers at St. Andrews purchase a Silver Cup for an
open championship
played on the
Old Course
.
Bailie
William Landale is the first champion.
- 1759
? Earliest reference to
stroke play
, at St. Andrews. Previously, all play was matchplay.
- 1761
? The
Bruntsfield Links
Golfing Society of Edinburgh is formed.
[3]
- 1764
? The competition for the Silver Club at
Leith
is restricted to members of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.
- The first four holes at St. Andrews are combined into two, reducing the round from twenty-two holes (11 out and in) to 18 (nine out and in). St. Andrews is the first 18-hole golf course and sets the standard for future courses.
- 1766
? The
Blackheath
Club in
London
becomes the first golf club formed outside Scotland.
- 1767
? The score of 94 returned by James Durham at St. Andrews in the Silver Cup competition sets a record unbroken for 86 years.
- 1768
? The Golf House at Leith is erected. It is the first
golf clubhouse
.
- 1773
? Competition at St. Andrews is restricted to members of the Leith and St. Andrews societies.
- 1774
?
Thomas McMillan
offers a Silver Cup for competition at
Musselburgh
,
East Lothian
. He wins the first championship.
- 1780
? The Society of Golfers at Aberdeen (later the
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club
) is formed.
- 1783
? A Silver Club is offered for competition at Glasgow.
- 1786
? The
South Carolina Golf Club
is formed in
Charleston
, the first golf club outside of the United Kingdom.
- 1788
? The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers requires members to wear club uniform when playing on the links.
- 1797
? The
Burntisland
Golf Club is formed.
- The town of St. Andrews sells the land containing the Old Course (known then as Pilmor Links), to
Thomas Erskine
for £805. Erskine was required to preserve the course for golf.
- 1806
? The St. Andrews Club chooses to elect its captains rather than award captaincy to the winner of the Silver Cup. Thus begins the tradition of the Captain "playing himself into office" by hitting a single shot before the start of the annual competition.
- 1810
? Earliest recorded reference to a women's competition at Musselburgh.
- 1824
? The Perth Golfing Society is formed, later
Royal Perth
(the first club so honoured).
- 1828
? The first references indicating that
hickory
was used for golf shafts appears in identical articles in
The Sporting Chronicle
and
The Sporting Magazine
.
- 1829
? The Dum Dum Golfing Club, later
Calcutta
Golf Club (and later still Royal Calcutta) is formed.
[4]
- 1832
? The
North Berwick
Club is founded, the first to include women in its activities, although they are not permitted to play in competitions.
- 1833
? King
William IV
confers the distinction of "Royal" on the Perth Golfing Society; as Royal Perth, it is the first Club to hold the distinction.
- The St. Andrews Golfers ban the stymie but rescind the ban one year later.
- 1834
?
William IV
confers the title "
"Royal and Ancient" on the Golf Club at St. Andrews
.
- 1836
? The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers abandons the deteriorating Leith Links, moving to Musselburgh.
- The longest drive ever recorded with a feathery ball, 361 yards, was achieved with a following wind by Samuel Messieux on the Old Course at St Andrews.
[5]
- 1842
? The Bombay Golfing Society (later
Royal Bombay
) is founded.
- 1844
? Blackheath follows Leith in expanding its course from five to seven holes. North Berwick also had seven holes at the time, although the trend toward a standard eighteen had begun.
- 1848
? Invention of the "
guttie
," the
gutta-percha
ball. It flies farther than the feathery and is much less expensive to make. It contributes greatly to the expansion of the game.
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
Overview
| |
---|
Technical
| |
---|
Facilities
| |
---|
Governing
organizations
| |
---|
Majors
(
Grand Slam
,
Triple Crown
)
| |
---|
International
events
| |
---|
Rankings
| |
---|
Golfers
| |
---|
Lists of
golf courses
| by feature
| |
---|
by country
| |
---|
by designer
| |
---|
|
---|
Countries
| |
---|
Years
| |
---|
Miscellaneous
| |
---|
Variations
| |
---|
Media
| |
---|
|